Reactors and neutron-scattering instruments in Western Europe - An update on continuous neutron sources

Research reactors as sources of continuous neutron beams have been operational in Western Europe since the late fifties and have triggered a series of successful developments in reactor technology and in particular in neutron-scattering instrumentation. The culmination point so far was the construction and operation of the high-flux reactor at the ILL in Grenoble. Although only one new reactor has been built since then, there were - and still are - efforts going on especially in Germany to provide a modern substitute for the older multi-purpose reactors still in operation or shut down already. Substantial effort also went into the modernization of the scattering instruments and experiment infrastructure (cold neutron sources, neutron guides, etc.) at several locations, showing that the scientific merits of neutron scattering are well recognized also on the political level. The ongoing construction of a cw-spallation neutron source in Switzerland might constitute an important step on the way to a new generation of high-flux sources. (orig.)